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MY BACKGROUND Over the years I've had most if not all Mid-High-End audio gear and with recent Receivers from Denon, Sony, Pioneer, Anthem, and Yamaha. For pure clean well spec'd Amplifiers the Denon's have been my favorite but I've always leaned toward Yamaha's for their full featured Receivers and easily controlled menu systems. I've started buying good equipment back in the mid 1960's so I've seen most everything including Quadraphonic which didn't survive long even though it was a good idea, just ahead of its time. REASON FOR UPGRADE My old Yamaha RX-V2400 is lacking the new 4K HDMI HDR capabilities, doesn't have things like native Bluetooth or other current streaming features. It’s also missing ATMOS and other higher quality sound processor formats but even more important is its lack of hot balanced pre-out's (XLR connections). Since the RX-V2400's amplifier is poor at volume and due to its noise floor issues (Headroom) I've been using Crown XLS Drivecore II PA's to drive my speakers instead of the V2400 and prevent clipping. In doing so I've had to use DiBoxes to convert the low level pre's out (.775v) to the Pro level PA's Hot inputs (1.4v). Although this works well I wanted to get away from one more layer of electronics, less issues, and gain more functionality. MY DECISION Since Marantz is now a part of the Denon family, their pro line now typically and because they use to be excellent Receivers back in the 70’s so I seriously considered them and almost went with the AV8802A which is another great Preamplifier. Actually I have a friend with the Marantz and he just loves it including the Opera window on the face plate. This to me is a big negative and pretty much useless as it is hard to see from any distance and detracts from the flip door display's visibility. My Yamaha RX-V2400's display has always been difficult to see from a seating distance so when upgrading I wanted something better, the CX-A5100 is that. Also the AV8802A doesn't always let you fully control your sound field settings and the 64 bit multi-point YPAO versus the 32 bit for the Manrantz among a few other small things moved me back to the Yamaha. CONCLUSION - THE YAMAHA CX-A5100 I'm very glad I went with the Yamaha, the sound quality, noise floor, imaging, Pro and Commercial features, and full featured control of your sound field is superb. The menu system is very appealing on your TV, easy to navigate (seems to make sense), and the face plate display is very easy to read from your seating position, at least in my case much better than my old receiver. It interfaces well with my PA's through XLR connections and I've eliminated the need for my DiBoxes which is wonderful. My friend with the AV8802 thought the Yamaha Receiver, the RX-A3060, he Demo'd before buying his Marantz was Septic sounding (paraphrased) not having the bass he wanted. If he had turned the Bass Enhancement feature ON his opinion would have been different. This is one thing of many that is nice about the Yamaha; you get clean music reproduction uncolored if that is what you like or you can add processing if you wish, you’re in control. In my opinion you can’t go wrong with either the Yamaha CX-A5100 or the Marantz AV8802A as they are both excellent components’ and you’ll be happy with either. Both are laid out well in back and sound excellent the big plus though with the Yamaha is Visible Display, Controllable Features, and Price Point. Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Couldn't be happier. You will not find a better amp/preamp combination at this price or even at double this price. The value Yamaha packs into the Aventage lineup is unparalleled. The features, the iOS remote software, the easy integration with NAS file servers as well as legacy equipment is all state of the art. This is the standard to which all other home theatre systems are measured.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
I love this thing, it sounds great and works great without any hiccups at all. YPAO did a perfect job setting up my room for 6.1.4 and Dolby Atmos (and DTS:X) is actually cooler than I expected. Nice upgrade from my previous PrePro, an Onkyo Pro PR-SC885.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
No regrets in the purchase. The best value for its purchase point.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
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